I can't get my kitten....

[sugarpops]

I have recently adopted a second kitten from a rescue. This is the second kitten I have adopted through them. I have also helped to rescue a cat through the same rescue. Everything seems above board and the lady is nice enough. Never assumed anything dodgy.

When I adopted my first kitten, I told her how I would think about getting another one. It just depended on financial things and if I could afford it.

A few weeks later (3 weeks ago now) she messaged me to say she has a little kitten who needed a home and has a very similar personality to my first kitten I adopted. She said they would be a perfect match and would I be interested. She sent me some photos and I agreed.

I then paid the adoption fee and a fee for neutering. She says if I pay for her neutering then she can get it done through her rescue (she is also a veterinary nurse) and it is cheaper.

She told me the kitten would be ready at the end of the week - 2 weeks ago. We were supposed to collect him 2 weeks ago today.

When I text her to arrange a time, she told me she was drunk at a party and would arrange text me the next day. She didn’t.

A couple more days passed by and I messaged her again. She didn’t reply for 2 days and told me her grandad had passed away. I replied with I was sorry to hear that, hope she was ok. She didn’t reply and I left it for a few days.

I text her again and to say I hope she was ok, and was there any update on when we could collect him. She told me she would drop him off this last week at some point. She hasn’t.

I have then text her again and I am being completely ignored.

I understand she may be having a tough time. But aibu to expect that I should still be able to collect the kitten? It would only take 5 minutes (she knows me well enough) and it would also be one less animal for her to look after.

I am getting concerned. Before she told me about her grandad, I was also trying to ask about the kitten I have got who is due her vaccinations and spay (which stupidly I have paid her for) and I’m getting absolutely no where with that either.

All in all she has about £250 of my money for 2 kittens, vaccinations and neutering and I am getting no where with any of it.

I thought I would text her again on Monday and ask one last time. If I get no response, I’ll have to take it further.

Who would I even speak to regarding this?

Or - am I just being completely unreasonable here? I have 3 dc at home who are asking when our new kitten is coming and I’m at a loss of what to tell them! My gut is he isn’t coming at all .

I'm now wondering if there are other people waiting for promised kittens too???

Make sure you screenshot all your messages in case she unsends them.

We both have iPhones Can you do that on an iPhone? I'll do it anyway, thank you.

OP I'm fuming on your behalf and poor DS. I understand the vets say its nothing to do with them but if an employee has been committing fraud outside of work especially when using their expertise at work as a way of gaining trust I would have assumed there are repercussions for this. I suspect the vet owner / manager would be very interested in your story, I get why the receptionist was not. Unless there is a very good explanation, I still think a complaint should be made in writing as many others could be in your position

Does everyone think 2 weeks is long enough to wait despite her circumstances?

Absolutely. She took the money fast enough. If the kitten is still there, I'll be astonished.

At best she's either given it to someone else or it's died; at worst, this is a long scam.

So she has been stringing you along for your first kitten's vaccinations and neuter for 7 weeks?

Even asking you to pay twice for those services at one point?

Then within this time she's approached you again about another kitten and another set of vaccs and neutering?

Yeah, she's scammed you from day one.

She might have had the first kitten to handover but she's clearly scammed you in that transaction with the medical stuff.

She's not a rescue.

Ask yourself this. If the situation was reversed

Your beloved grandfather has just died.
You are off work because of the grief (grandparents don't always qualify for bereavement pay, usually parent, child or sibling only).
Helping bereaved grandmother with her grief.
Helping above move house.

^^ would you really want the stress of looking after a stray kitten that had already been allocated a new home??

Find the complaints policy of the veterinary chain, make a formal complaint.
Report her to the police for fraud.
If you can't get charge back, small claims court.

The ‘rescue’ has nothing to do with the vet. As the OP said earlier, she has phoned the vet who wanted, quite naturally, nothing to do with this.

But her actions are nothing to do with the vets. It's like complaining to your neighbour's employer that they (the NDN) had a noisy party at the weekend! She might be employed by them but they're not answerable to the employee's behaviour when they're not in work.

@sugarpops I also don't believe the kitten is still available for whatever reason and probably hasn't been for a while. I'd start the process for getting your money back (and any monies you paid to this individual for the first kitten's medical stuff). I don't want to be a meanie but in your changing circumstances, you're better off sticking to one cat rather than doubling your expenses having two. The insurance premium and vet's bills that aren't covered under insurance plus policy excess, plus wet and dry food, plus flea and parasite treatment, plus litter - it all adds up. Hopefully things will improve for you in time, but for just now I'd stick to one.

I'm aware that there is no formal link with the veterinary practice, however by promoting her employment/professional role at the practice with the "rescue" operation/fraud, she is bringing the practice into disrepute - most employers would take a dim view of that.
I have also suggested a formal complaint, rather than a phone call.

Are there any local facebook groups you could post on diplomatically OP, to see if anyone else has had similar issues?

Also, I suspect you can be employed as a veterinary nurse without being qualified (maybe she works there, but not as a nurse) - but consider a complaint to her professional body if she is qualified.

British Veterinary Nursing Association
bvna.org.uk

Could you just drive over now for the kitten. If she doesn't answer, just sit outside in your car until she leaves the house / comes back. Then calmly confront her face to face. This is ridiculous. Do you think she has given the kitten to someone else?

Yeah, this is what I would do.

Yes - if. All we know is that she is rescuing cats and selling them. She may claim the sale price is 'covering her costs' of food, litter, vet bills etc. It sounds a fairly haphazard unorganised arrangement from what OP has said, I doubt any fundraising is happening.

But in any case, the OP has not yet even asked for her money back. As another poster commented, she needs to clearly state a timeframe for the nurse to produce the kitten or a refund.

I wasn't able to do that today unfortunately but I may be able to do it tomorrow.

She's now put a post on of a pregnant cat that she's got. I don't understand any of it.

Where is she getting all these animals? She'll be messaging you soon to see if you want another kitten when this pregnant one gives birth 🙄

She sounds like a cat dealer.
Rather lucrative at those rates.

I really hope you get your money back OR the kitten you paid for plus the spaying/ vaccinations you also paid for up front.

@sugarpops Son’s GF picked up a stray kitten from a Vet Nurse- £50
Kitten’s mother had been a stray
But what was rather a surprise,
Kitten was rammed with roundworm

She clearly hadn’t been wormed before being sold.
The poos were dramatic with these parasites.

Seems it’s a sideline for vet nurses selling feral kittens, but regular worming is essential, surely.

Did you get your kitten OP? I would be concerned for it's welfare at this point.

Thr cat dealer 'play book' is taking deposits / money from people and then having dramatic 'personal reasons' why you can't pick the cat up. They play on the fact people don't want to bother them because they are are respecting their grieving / illness / trauma / whatever story they spin. Have a look on websites like Pets For Homes - their are explicit warnings about scam artists who do exactly this for a living.

No more txts etc, go to the surgery she works at and either get your kitten or money back

I've already rang them and they weren't interested so I'm not going to do that again. At the end of the day, I've given up on getting the kitten now. I'm more concerned about getting my money back

Nope, I had no response at all.

I've sent a text this morning with my concerns so will see if I get a response

She's blocked me!

Actually no she hasn't....it just took 10 minutes to say delivered!